Portable protected lamp-holder.



R. B. BBNJA il PORTABLE PBOTECTEDL HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILLED IAF. 15, 1910.

1,038,071. 1 Patented Sept 10. 1912.

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R. B. BENJAMIN.

PORTABLE PROTECTED LAMP-HOLDER.

APELICATION FILED JAN.15,1910.

' 1,038,071.' v Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.55 37 35 j? Z5 .l JE

R. B. BENJAMIN.

PORTABLE PROTECTED LAMP HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 11111111 o.

Patented sept. 10, 1912.

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UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, O F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BENJAMIN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PORTABLE PROTECTED LAMP-HOLDER.

To all 117mm. 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ltlciilsnx l. BENJA- MIN. a citizen ot' the United States. residing` at (lli'icag'o` in the county of Cook and State ot Iilinois. have yinvented new and useful Improvements in Portable Protected Lamp- Holders, of which the following is a full, clear. concise, and exacty description, reter- `ence beine` had to the accouilmnyiug drawing, forming` a party of thisl specification.

)ly invention relates to portable lamp holders having lamp-protect-iinf guards.

One of the objects ot' my invention is the provision ot: a portable lamp holder of the above character such that:` there shall be no possibility ot' short circuits being formed by reason ot' the device being accidentally placed between live elect-ric terminals, such, for instance. as a pair ot bus-bars on an electric switchboard; and such that there shall 4not be any possibility of a shock being communicated to the user ot' the device by `reason of it .being thrown into contact with a live terminal. v

It is a further object of my invention so to construct the guard ot' a portable lamp holder that it may be removed very readily when desired although itis securely held in place when .in use. v

-lt is a still further object of my invention to render cheaper the manufacture ot' lamp holders of the above character by providing a more economical construction.

An embodiment ot' my invention is shown, by way ot example, in the accompanying drawings, butl it is to be understood that l do not limit myself to the. construction -therein shown since changes, within the scope ot' the appended claims, may be made without departing` t'rom the spirit ot' my invention.

vln the drawings: Figure l is a sectional elevation ot a lamp-holding device constructed in accordance with my. invention, the lower part of the handle beinibr broken away; Fig'. 2 is a vertical section taken through the lower' part of the handle and showing' the` device which l employ for rel lit-'vinel the. lead condnctmfs from strain; Fig. Sz is a plan of the lan'lpholder; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 'l--at of Fig; 1'; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l; Fig. 6 is a detail View ot the upper end ot one of the guard strips; Fig. 7 is a plan of the lamp- Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

Application filed January 15, 19.10. Serial No. 538,259.

y holder with the guard removed: Fie'. S is a horizontal section taken on the line H-S of l Fig. l and showing' thel guard as locked to l the lampholder: Fig. S) is a view similar to i Fig'. S, but showingthe. guard unlocked and Figs. 1'0 and lt are detail views of the llower end o' one ot the. gua-rd strips; Fig. 1-2 is a `itragmentary view of part of the locking ring; and Fig. 13 section a device similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but provided with a switch. i

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the drawings and the following; description.

The body ot` the lampholder comprises a longitudinal passage l5 for the reception of electrical conductors leading` to a lamp .socket which is secured inl a welllt formed which the handle is provided.` rlhe lamp socket comprises the ordinary parts and includes an insulatingr base 18 which tits into the lower part of the well V18, the latter being properly bored to receive it. 1t) is provided in the well 1.(3 'for prevent'- ing rotation ot the base 18, which it does b v engaging in a suitable recess with which 4the base is provided. rl`he base isseeured iu position in the well ltby means of a threaded bushing' 2t) which isA secured into4 the upper end of the well, the latter being vsuitably threaded for that purpose. A device is thus provided which will carry an incandescent lamp and which may be readily and conveniently grasped and waved about to enable the light. to be -thrown in any desired direction. Lead Conminals upon the rear face of the. base 18 and extend out through the passage lo. In

passage 15 and thereby prevent any strain,` due to the dropping,

provide a threaded plugr 21 lwhich is threaded into a suitable hole opening into the passage 15. This plug carries at- 'its inner end a block 22 formed of rubber or the like which, when the plug is screwed -inward, will engage the conductors and thereby clamp them against withdrawal. the plug thus taking any strain which n'iay be in iparted to the conductors.

shows in vertical.v

etc., of the lampholder, being imparted to the binding terminals, IA

.60 ready tp be removed from the lampholderg' handle 1l having formed therethrough al in the end of an enlarged head 17 with A pin order to clamp these lead conductorsin the y ductors are secured to suitable bindingzg` terr |95 The lampholder is designed to be used around switchlmards, in the holds of ships, and generally under such conditions as would obtain in these and similar places. lt is desirable, therefore, that a guard be provided for preventingbreakage of the lamp by reason of the latter being accidentally struck or the lampholder being dropped. Such a guard should be arranged so as to obstructas little light as possible and at the same time be as strong as possible. l `urthermorc, when the lampholder is to be used around s\\'itcliboai'ds, electrical machinery, or in other similar places, it is. desirable that it should be so constructed as to reduce as much as possible the amount .of conducting material, such as screw-heads, wires or the like, carried upon the outside hereof.

The guard according to my invention embodies all the features mentioned in the pre-Y ceding paragraph. It comprises a plurality of longitudinal strips 23 preferably stamped out from a sheet of fiber and spaced in a circle so as to form a kind of cage around the lamp. The strips are set radially so as to give the maximum strength with the minimum obstruction of the light given out by the lamp. These strips 23 are secured together at their upper ends by means of a lat fiber ring 24 (Figs. 1, 5 and 6) formed with notches 25. The strips 23 are formed at their upper ends with notches 26 by means of which the upper ends of the strips may be securely hooked into the ring 24 at. the notches 25. A hook 27 may be secured to the ring 24, if desired, to enable the lampholder to be hung up at will. Intermediate the ends of the strips 23 is placed a spacing ring 23 `formed with a plurality of radial notches 29 in which the strips 23 engage, the strips being each provided at that part witha notch 30, enabling them to lock with the spacing ring 28. The strips 23 are inclosed at their lower ends by a ring 31 (Figs. 1 and 8-12), hereinafter termed the locking ring, which ring is of such nature that, when turned, it will force the inner ends of the strips 23 into locking engagement with the upper part of the lampholder, as will be hereinafter described.

The enlarged upper end 17 of the lampholder is formed with a pair of annular projections 32 and 33, respectively, set apartso as to leave an annular groove between them. These projections have formed therein a plurality of recesses 32? and 33L of a depth somewhat. less than that of the respective projections 32 and 33, these recesses being equal in number to the strips 23 of the guard, the lower ends of which strips they are adapted to receive. rThe lower ends of the strips 23 of the guard are formed with projections 3ftof a width substantially equalto that of the space between the projections 32 Loader/1 and 33 of the lampholder. l/V hen placing the guardupon the lampholder, the lower ends of the strips are pushed down through the notches 3.2:L until their extremities engage n the notches 33a and their projections 34 are located in the space between the project-ions 32 and 33 of the lampholder. In this condition of the parts the guard is held against lateral. movement by reason of the engagement of the ends of the strips 23 in the notches 32a and 33. However, it will readily slide longitudinally away from the lampholder. In order to prevent this, means are provided for forcing the ends of the strips 23 inward so that their projections 34: engage those parts of the royections 32 and 33 which are left at the bottom of the notches 32EL and 33, this means consisting of the locking ring 31 above referred to. The ring 31 is formed with a plurality of notches 35, one for each of the strips 23, which latter engage in these notches. The strips 23 are provided with notches 36 at the parts where they engage in the notches 35 in order to maintain'the locking ring 31 l in its position upon the strips.' One side of each of the notches 35 -of the `ring 31 is sloped up so as to form a cam surface 37, so that when the ring 31 is turned in the direction ofthe arrow (Fig. 9) the strips 23 will ride up the cam surfaces 37 and thereby be forced inward so that their projections 34 will engage under the projections 32 and 33 in the manner above described. In order that the strips 23 may be firmly retained in their locked position, the cam surfaces 37 are continued in further cam surfaces 38 of considerably less inclination.

ln order to preclude anychance of the lock ring 31 slipping backward and thereby enabling the strips 23 to spring outward and the guard to become released, one of the cam surfaces of the ring Vis made somewhat shallower than the others and is formed with a scored edge, as at 39. The particular strip 23 which corresponds in position to thev scored cam surface 39 is formed with vertical scorings 40 at the bottom of its notch 36, these scorings engaging those of the cam surface 39 and forming a lock'. The fact that the scored cam surface 39 is somewhat shallower than the other cam surfaces causes its particular strip 23 to have a certain freedom may be released, when it will spring outward and engage, by means of the 'scoring 40, with the scoring of the cam surface 39, thus causing a locked connection. YVhen 1t 1s4 desired to remove the guard, vthe strip 23. which engages the scored cam surface 39 may be manually pressed inward, when the ring may readily be turned. ln order that the particular one of the strips 23 which is to be manipulated inorder to enable the guard to be locked or unlocked may be readily determined, the lower end of this strip is knurled, sho-Wn at 4l (Fig. l1).

It will be seen from the above, that the embodiment of my invention described being provided with an opening 42 through which 4access may be had to the handle 43 of l a switch with which the socket is provided.

It is to be noted that the end of the switch lever 48 is contained Within the opening 42 whereby any possibility of the switch being accidentally actuatedor injured by the lever 43 being struck is avoided.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A lamp-holder comprising a lamp-receiving member having a locking projection thereon, a. guard includingT a plurality of strips each having a locking projection thereon adapted to engage the projection ot the lamp-receiving member, and manually releasable means for i'naintainingthe project-ions of the guard strips and the projection of the lamp-receiving member in engagen'ient. v

2. A lamp-holder comprising a lampreceiving member having a loc-king projection thereon, a guard including a plurality oli strips each having a locking projection thereon adapted to engage the projection of the lamp-receiving member, manually releasable means 'for maintaining the projections ofthe guard'strips and the projection ot the lamp-receiving member in engagement, and releasable locking means for said retaining means.

3. A lamp-holder 'comprising a.. lamp'- receiving member having an annular projection thereon, a guard including a plurality of guard strips arranged in a circle and cach having a projection adapted to'engage beneath said annular project-itin, and manual projections ot said guard strips in engagement with the projection of the la1nprcceiv ing member.

4. The combination with a guard comprising a plurality of guard strips arranged `in llv-rclcasable means tor imiintaining thea circle, ot a lamp-receiving member formed with slots vfor receiving the ends-of said guard strips, whereby said strips receive lateral support, and means for preventing longitudinal Withdrawal of said strips from `said slots.

'5. The combination with a guard comprising a plurality of longitudinal strips arranged in a circle and each having a projection thereon, of a .lamp-receivinv member formed with slots for receiving tche ends of said guard strips, whereby said strips receive lateral support, and also formed Awith a projectionbeneath which the projections of said strips are adapted to engage, and manually releasable means tor maintaining the projections of said strips in engagement with the `projection of said lamp-receiving member. l 6. The combination with a guard com-` prising a plurality of longitudinal strips arranged in a circle and each having a projection thereon, of' a lamp-receiving member formed with slots for receiving the ends of saidguard strips, whereby said strips receive lateral support, and also formed with a projection beneath Which the projections of said 'strips are adapted to. engage, and a ring surrounding saidl strips and formed with cam projections for moving the projections of said strips into locking relation with the projection of said lamp-receiving member,- whereby t-he lamp` receiving member and the guard are locked together. 'A

7 The combination with a guard comprising a plurality of longitudinal strips arranged in .a circle and each having a projection thereon, of a lamp-receiving mem-v ber formed Withy slots for receiving the ends of said guard strips, whereby said strips receive lateral support, and also formed with a projection beneathW-hich the projections of said strips are adapted to engage, a ring surrounding said vstrips and formed with cam projections for moving the projections of said strips into locking relation with the projection of said lampreceiving member, whereby the lampvreceiving member and the guard are locked together, and manually relcasable mea-ns Yfor retaining said ring in its locked posi.- tion.

8. A. lamp guard comprising an insulating disk having a` plurality of notches there in, a plurality of circularly arranged insulating strips arranged to engage at their ends in the notches of said disk, said str'ips being formed with notches at the parts at which they engage said disk, and spacing means for retaining said, strips in position.

'9. A portable lamp-holder comprising a lamp-receiving member having a well Socket, said lamp-receiving member being formed Wit-h an openingl therethrough communicating wih said Well, and a switch for said lamp socket having n lever extending into said opening, said lever being of in: J

suficient length opening 10. A lamp holder comprising a lampreceiving member having e locking projection Ithereon7 a guard including a plurality to extend beyond said of strips, one of seid strips having a lock-l ing projection thereon aelapted to engage the projection of the lmnp-receiving member, and manually releasable menne for maintaining the projection of said guard strip and the projection of the lamp-receivin member in engagement.

tign witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceV of, nwo

Witnesses.

REUBEN B. BENJAMN. Witnesses:

CHARLES G. Corn, E. R. Kme. 

